RUMSON – The Rev. Michael Manning, pastor of Holy Cross, will lead the church community in a prayer service on Sunday, April 14, on the church lawn, immediately following the noon Mass in the auditorium, to ceremonially mark the start of construction on the Holy Cross Church Renovation and Expansion Project.

The mayors of Rumson and Sea Bright are scheduled to join Manning and the parish’s faith community to celebrate the beginning of construction of the new church. Also in attendance will be leaders of the church’s capital campaign, the architect for the project, James McCrery of McCrery Archi­tects in Washington, D.C. and members of Scozzari Build­ers, Inc., of Trenton, who will serve as construction manager for the project.

David M. O’Connell, bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, while unable to attend, has conveyed his blessing and sincere good wishes to the people of Holy Cross.

The church will host a reception following the ceremony and all are invited to attend.

The construction phase of the church renovation and expansion project is anticipated with joy by members of the community, who have been working toward this goal for more than two decades. Many generous benefactors have contributed to the church’s upcoming renovation and expansion over the years. The new church will be constructed on the same site as the existing building. The portion of the existing church that will be maintained during the expansion will be restor­ed to its original beauty and retain its existing presence on Ward Avenue.

McCrery, a renowned architect, has designed a beautiful, traditional and prayerful church in keeping with the parish’s history and surroundings. Many of the “new” liturgical furnishings were fabricated in the early 1900s, not only making their quality affordable, but preserving them for liturgical use. The stained glass windows for the new building, for example, are from the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Germantown, Pa., which closed its doors on June 24, 2012.

The construction project is scheduled to begin on May 1, and conclude by August 2014.

During construction, Holy Cross will be celebrating weekend Masses in the auditorium and daily Masses in the chapel. Funeral and weddings are still being scheduled during construction, with special accommodations being made at neighboring churches, if requested. Bap­tisms are taking place in the chapel or during Sunday Mass in the auditorium.

“It’s surely been a long journey,” Manning said. “Ter­rific new facilities were added to our school several years ago in the first phase of the project and now it’s wonderful to see the church renovation and expansion take place. Each member of the Holy Family in turn has surely been besieged by prayers.”